McMaster Signs No-Permit Handgun Carry Law

COLUMBIA — Any South Carolinian 18 and over who can legally buy a handgun can carry it without needing a permit after Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill into law Thursday.

The law goes into effect immediately. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will spend the coming months preparing to offer the free classes for gun owners the Senate added to the bill as a compromise, according to a statement from the department.

When exactly the free training classes will begin depends on when SLED gets the money to hire instructors and fund the program, according to the statement.

The program could cost as much as $5 million, senators said.

Along with allowing people to forego permits to carry a gun, the law gives local and state law enforcement officers the ability to arrest more felons carrying guns.

That aspect, which brings the state law in line with federal law, was a priority for McMaster.

“This bill expands the Second Amendment rights of our law-abiding citizens and will keep violent criminals behind bars with increased penalties for illegal gun use and possession,” McMaster wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Thursday.

The rest of the bill, which exempts gun owners from previously required trainings to get their permit, was more controversial.

Supporters argued the U.S. Constitution gives people the right to carry a gun without government intervention, dubbing the measure “constitutional carry.” Opponents contended allowing anyone to carry a gun will lead to more shootings.

South Carolina is the 29th state to allow permit-less carry. It closely follows Louisiana, which signed its own bill into law Tuesday.